Wires on Back Side of Ignition Switch

[ajbremer]

Another owner re-wired some ignition wires at the steering column. They burned up 'in-flight'. I've replaced
the steering column with a good one with better wires and harnesses and clips, etc. I have it all together but
one wire goes nowhere.

On the opposite side of where you put your key in is a plastic wire harness that is held in by one phillips head screw.
I need to know where the top right terminal wire (red and black) goes. It's the wire coming from where I'm pointing
my needle nose pliers at in the pic below:

[1990new]

Is it BK/R? I don't see a reference in the electrical manual to a R/BK on the ignition.
The manual shows the BK/R going to the fuse panel then to the cooling fan motor with a 20A fuse.

Wires probably plug into a wiring harness connector under the dash and continue to their destination
so be careful when trying to trace.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...gnition+switch

[ajbremer]

You can see the wire in the picture. You can make it out above the needle nose pliers. The wire
is mostly Red with a Black strip. What is that plastic unit actually called?

[WmWatt]

What year?

[ajbremer]

My Festiva Year is: 11/30/1990.

On the black plastic part near each wire of the ignition switch are letters: L, E, IG1, and ACC. Those are
the only letters I can view. The letter 'L' is near the wire that I'm referencing. Here's a pic I've found here
in one of the past posts: You can see the top wire is mostly red with a black strip:
http://s263.photobucket.com/user/moo...16968.jpg.html

[ajbremer]

There's actually a total of 7 wires coming out of the switch.

[jawja jim]

Isn't this what is referred to In the EVTM as the "brake lamp test function" ? I understood it was to light the " brake lamp" in the instrument panel on start up ,which then goes out. If you get a new ignition switch from 4green, those two wires on the raised portion are not there. And if it makes any difference in the operation of the car, I haven't discovered it yet. I have been using one for about 6 months or so and the only thing I've noticed is the absence of that brief illuminating of the lamp on startup. If you want to see if it is working, you have to raise the e-brake handle slightly, or be low on brake fluid.

[ajbremer]

What I originally did was I replaced my whole steering column because of wiring burnout problems. The Festiva steering column I put in
was from an automatic and mine is a 5 speed BUT...all the connections, jacks, and wires all seemed and looked the same. I had to splice
a few of them but all color codes matched up. And now this one wire that I'm referencing is loose and going nowhere. I'm wondering where
it is supposed to connect to.

I have headlights and flashers but nothing else works: no instrument panel lights, blower motor doesn't turn on, car won't turn over
when key springs to starter position. Like I've said, the guy I got this car from messed with the wires but it does seem like I've got
all my wires in the proper places now going to the main wire harness. Maybe the previous owner's done something else under the dash
that I haven't seen.

[ajbremer]

Well, I'm not sure what it was but the wire that was going nowhere has been attached to another 'dangling' wire, they were spliced and taken apart for some reason. Anyway, they go to the proper places now. After I connected those wires, it still wouldn't work. The previous owner had a push-button hooked up to start the car with, button wires went to the two terminals on the starter. After I replaced the steering column I undid the button and plugged back in the proper jack to that starter coil tab.

Here's the weird part, it wasn't working and I pushed in and wiggled a couple jacks at the steering column and now it all works (except the horn). I'm glad but concerned because I don't want to be driving down the road and have everything cutout on me 'again'! After I started it I tried to jiggle wires at the column and it didn't cutoff or anything so I guess I'm good.

Does anyone know where my horn wire should go? When I press the horn inside the car I can hear a click. I do have a long horn wire that is loose and I don't know where it should go. It is only a one wire deal and I tried all the single-jacks I could find that are hanging free within the engine bay but none of them did the trick. Where does the horn wire go to?

[ajbremer]

I'll put my horn wire question in the General area. Thanks